Self-leveling screeds and trowel-applied flooring compositions containing dispersion powder compositions based on vinylaromatic-1,3-diene copolymers

ABSTRACT

Self-leveling screeds and trowel-applied flooring compositions are provided containing dispersion powder compositions based on vinylaromatic-1,3-diene copolymers. The use of these copolymers in the flooring compositions dispensing with the need for fully hydrolyzed copolymers made from 1-alkylvinyl esters and from vinyl esters while obtaining good wear resistance, scratch resistance and adhesion.&lt;/PTEXT&gt;

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1) Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the use of water-redispersible,protective-colloid-stabilized dispersion powder compositions based onvinylaromatic-1,3-diene copolymers in self-leveling screeds andtrowel-applied flooring compositions.

2) Background Art

For many years, dispersion powders have been used, particularly in theconstruction sector, as a polymeric improver for hydraulically settingsystems. An overview of the action of dispersion powders is given in theperiodical TIZ (Tonindustrie-Zeitung) 9, p. 698 (1985). Especially theproperties of adhesion, wear resistance, scratch resistance and bendresistance of hydraulically setting compositions are improved by addingdispersion powders. Examples of descriptions of these dispersion powdersare found in DE-A-2049114 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,648), and they areprepared by spray drying aqueous polymer dispersion powders withaddition of polyvinyl alcohol and of other additives. The resultantpowder, with good free flow and with particle sizes from 10 to 250 μm,redisperses in water to give a dispersion with particle sizes from 0.1to 5 μm. This redispersion should remain stable over a prolonged period,i.e. should not show any tendency toward sedimentation.

An important application sector for dispersion powders is that ofhydraulically setting trowel-applied flooring compositions. Thesetrowel-applied flooring compositions have been disclosed in DE-A 3028559(GB-A 2083015) and EP-A 116524, and are generally composed of cement ormixtures of different cements, carefully balanced filler combinations,dispersion powders, plasticizers and, where appropriate, otheradditives. DE-A 3028559 proposes modifying the compositions withcomminuted elastomers and with dispersion powder based on vinylacetate-ethylene copolymers. EP-A 116524 recommends the use of polymerpowders or polymer dispersions for providing elasticity when producingflowable compositions, the polymer powders recommended being those basedon vinyl ester polymers.

DE-B 2064081, DE-B 2102456 (GB-A 1325518), DE-B 2301435 and DE-B 2534564recommend using polyvinyl acetate dispersion powders as an additive inflowable compositions. The flowable compositions are generally in drymortar from when they are delivered to the building site, where they aresimply mixed with water and spread on the floor. The materials flow outto give a smooth surface which serves directly as the wear layer orserves as substrate for further coatings. This usage always giveproblems. Particularly when relatively thick layers are applied, unevenareas, such as craters or pinholes, form on the surface. The surfacedoes not become as smooth as the purchaser desires, and requires furtherwork.

The procedure used hitherto to avoid uneven areas of this type has beento use additives. EP-A 477900 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,751) recommends theuse of fully hydrolyzed copolymers made from 1-alkylvinyl esters andfrom vinyl esters to eliminate these problems. However, these additivesare relatively complicated to prepare and increase the cost of thedispersion powder composition to an unacceptable degree.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to eliminate thedisadvantages described above for known trowel-applied flooringcompositions, in relation to the surface quality of coatings producedfrom these, without the use of fully hydrolyzed copolymers made from1-alkylvinyl esters and from vinyl esters, but to do this without losingthe advantages gained by adding dispersion powders, for example improvedwear resistance, scratch resistance and adhesion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Surprisingly, it has been found that the use of powders based onprotective-colloid-stabilized vinylaromatic-1,3-diene polymers enablesthe use of fully hydrolyzed copolymers made from 1-alkylvinyl esters andfrom vinyl esters to be dispensed with, while retaining equivalentsurface qualities and at the same time obtaining good wear resistance,scratch resistance and adhesion.

The invention provides the use of water-redispersible,protective-colloid-stabilized dispersion powder compositions inself-leveling screeds or trowel-applied flooring compositions, whereinthe dispersion powder composition comprises

a) a base polymer selected from the group consisting of thevinylaromatic-1,3-diene polymers,

b) from 2 to 25% by weight, based on the base polymer, of one or moreprotective colloids,

c) from 3 to 30% by weight, based on the total weight of polymericconstituents, of fine antiblocking agent, and

d) from 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the base polymer, of otheradditives.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Suitable vinylaromatic compounds are styrene and methylstyrene,copolymerization of styrene being preferred. Examples of 1,3-dienes are1,3-butadiene and isoprene, 1,3-butadiene being preferred. Thecopolymers generally contain from 20 to 80% by weight, preferably from30 to 70% by weight, of vinylaromatic compound, and from 20 to 80% byweight, preferably from 30 to 70% by weight, of 1,3-diene, and othermonomers may also be present where appropriate, and the percentage byweight data always give 100% by weight in total.

Up to 30% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomer phase, ofother monomers copolymerizable with vinylaromatic compounds and with1,3-dienes may be copolymerized where appropriate, for example ethylene,vinyl chloride, (meth)acrylates of alcohols having from 1 to 15 carbonatoms, or vinyl esters of unbranched or branched carboxylic acids.

From 0.05 to 10% by weight, based on the total weight of the monomermixture, of auxiliary monomers may also be copolymerized whereappropriate. Examples of auxiliary monomers are ethylenicallyunsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids, preferably acrylic acid,methacrylic acid, fumaric acid or maleic acid; ethylenically unsaturatedcarboxamides and carbonitriles, preferably acrylamide or acrylonitrile;.mono- and diesters of fumaric acid or maleic acid, such as the diethylor diisopropyl esters, and also maleic anhydride, ethylenicallyunsaturated sulfonic acids and salts of these, preferably vinylsulfonicacid, and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid. Other examples areprecrosslinking comonomers, such as comonomers with two or moreethylenic unsaturations, such as divinyl adipates, diallyl maleate,allyl methacrylate or triallyl cyanurate, or postcrosslinkingcomonomers, such as acrylamidoglycolic acid (AGA), methylmethylacrylamidoglycolate (MAGME), N-methylol-acrylamide (NMA),N-methylolmethacrylamide, allyl N-methylolcarbamate, alkyl ethers, suchas isobutoxy ether, or esters of N-methylolacrylamide, ofN-methylolmethacrylamide, or of allyl N-methylol-carbamate. Othersuitable comonomers are epoxy-functional comonomers, such as glycidylmethacrylate and glycidyl acrylate. Other examples of comonomers aresilicon-functional comonomers, such as acryloxypropyl-tri(alkoxy)- andmethacryloxypropyltri(alkoxy)silanes, vinyltrialkoxysilanes andvinylmethyldialkoxysilanes, examples of alkoxy groups which may bepresent being ethoxy radicals and ethoxy(propylene glycol) etherradicals. Mention may also be made of monomers having hydroxyl or COgroups, for example hydroxyalkyl methacrylates and hydroxyalkylacrylates, such as hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl and hydroxybutylacrylates and the corresponding methacrylates, and also compounds suchas diacetoneacrylamide and acetylacetoxyethyl acrylate and thecorresponding methacrylate.

The selection of monomer here, and the selection of the portions byweight of the comonomers, is generally such as to give a glasstransition temperature Tg of from −70 to +70° C., preferably from −50 to+50° C., particularly preferably from −20 to +40° C. The glasstransition temperature Tg of the polymers may be determined in a knownmanner by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The Tg can also beapproximated in advance by using the Fox equation. According to T. G.Fox, Bull. Am. Physics Soc. 1, 3, page 123 (1956): 1/Tg=x₁/Tg₁+x₂/Tg₂+ .. . +x_(n)/Tg_(n), where x_(n) is the proportion by weight (% byweight/100) of the monomer n and Tg_(n) is the glass transitiontemperature in degrees Kelvin of the homopolymer of the monomer n. Tgvalues for homopolymers are listed in Polymer Handbook 2nd Edition, J.Wiley & Sons, New York (1975).

Protective colloids suitable as component b) are for example polyvinylalcohols, polysaccharides in water-soluble form, for example starches(amylose and amylopectin), modified starches, for example starch ethers,such as hydroxyalkyl ether starches, dextrins and cyclodextrins,celluloses and their carboxymethyl, methyl, hydroxyethyl andhydroxypropyl derivatives, poly(meth)acrylic acid, poly(meth)acrylamide,melamine-formaldehyde sulfonates, and naphthalene-formaldehydesulfonates.

Preference is given to polyvinyl alcohols having a degree of hydrolysisof from 80 to 95 mol % and a Höppler viscosity of from 1 to 30 mPas in4% strength aqueous solution (Höppler method at 20° C., DIN 53015).Other suitable materials are hydrophobically modified polyvinyl alcoholshaving a degree of hydrolysis of from 80 to 95 mol % and a Höpplerviscosity of from 1 to 30 mPas in 4% strength aqueous solution. Examplesof these are partially hydrolyzed copolymers of vinyl acetate withhydrophobic comonomers, such as isopropenyl acetate, vinyl pivalate,vinyl ethylhexanoate, vinyl esters of saturated alpha-branchedmonocarboxylic acids having 5 or 9, to 11 carbon atoms, dialkyl maleatesor dialkyl fumarates, such as diisopropyl maleate or diisoproyplfumarate, vinyl chloride, vinyl alkyl ethers, such as vinyl butyl ether,or olefins, such as ethene or decene. The proportion of hydrophobicunits is preferably from 0.1 to 10% by weight, based on the total weightof the partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate, these hydrophobicallymodified polyvinyl alcohols producing a surface tension <40 mN/m in 2%strength aqueous solution. It is also possible to use mixtures of thepolyvinyl alcohols mentioned.

Antiblocking agents suitable as component c) are known to the skilledworker. Examples of these are calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate,talc, gypsum, silica, and silicates, such as magnesium hydrosilicate.The particle size is generally from 10 nm to 10 μm.

Other components present as component d) in the dispersion powdercompositions are antifoams, pigments, fillers, foam stabilizers,hydrophobicizing agents, wetting agents, and cement plasticizers. Theamounts in which the constituents mentioned may be added, if desired,are those known to the skilled worker.

The protective-colloid-stabilized polymer powders are prepared in aknown manner by emulsion polymerization, the polymerization temperaturegenerally being from 40 to 100° C., preferably from 60 to 90° C. Whengaseous comonomers, such as ethylene or vinyl chloride, arecopolymerized, it is also possible to operate at superatmosphericpressure, generally at from 5 to 100 bar. The polymerization isinitiated with the initiators or redox-initiator combinations which arecommonly used for emulsion polymerization, for example hydroperoxides,such as tert-butyl hydroperoxide, azo compounds, such asazobisisobutyronitrile, or inorganic initiators, such as the sodium,potassium or ammonium salts of peroxodisulfuric acid. The initiatorsmentioned are generally used in amounts of from 0.05 to 3% by weight,based on the total weight of the monomers. The redox initiators usedcomprise combinations of the initiators mentioned with reducing agents,such as sodium sulfite, sodium hydroxymethanesulfinate, or ascorbicacid. The amount of reducing agent is preferably from 0.01 to 5.0% byweight, based on the total weight of the monomers.

The polymerization mixture is stabilized using the amount mentioned ofthe abovementioned protective colloids b), and preferably without theuse of any emulsifiers. It is preferable to use the partially hydrolyzedpolyvinyl acetates and partially hydrolyzed hydrophobicized polyvinylacetates mentioned. The amount of the protective colloids generally usedduring the polymerization is from 1 to 15% by weight, based on the totalweight of the monomers. It is preferable here for part of the protectivecolloid content to be an initial charge and part to be fed once thepolymerization has been initiated. The monomers may be entirely aninitial charge, entirely a feed, or partly an initial charge, with theremainder fed once the polymerization has been initiated.

In the preferred embodiment, the dispersion powders used to produce theflowable compositions are those in which the vinylaromatic-1,3-diene,polymer a) has been produced by emulsion polymerization of at least onevinylaromatic compound and of at least one 1,3-diene in the presence ofthe protective colloid b), particularly preferably without the use ofany emulsifiers.

The aqueous dispersions obtainable by the processes mentioned have asolids content of from 30 to 75% by weight, preferably from 40 to 65% byweight. To produce the water-redispersible dispersion powders, theaqueous dispersions are dried, preferably spray dried. This spray dryingtakes place in conventional spray drying systems, and the atomizationprocess here may take place using single-, twin- or multiple-fluidnozzles, or using a rotating disc. The discharge temperature isgenerally in the range from 55 to 100° C., preferably from 70 to 90° C.,depending on the system, the Tg of the resin, and on the desired degreeof drying. To ensure redispersibility, it is generally necessary to addfurther protective colloids to the dispersion prior to the dryingprocess, as an aid to spraying. The amount of spraying aid generallyused is from 5 to 25% by weight, based on the polymeric constituents ofthe dispersion. It is preferable for the polyvinyl alcohols mentioned ascomponent b) to be admixed, in the form of an aqueous solution, with thepolymer dispersion prior to the spraying process.

During or after the spraying process, the desired amount of antiblockingagent (component c)) is added. To improve performance, other additives(component d)) may be added during or after the spraying process.Examples of other constituents which may be present in dispersion powdercompositions are pigments, fillers, foam stabilizers, hydrophobicizingagents, wetting agents, and cement plasticizers.

For use in self-leveling screeds and trowel-applied flooringcompositions (flowable compositions), the dispersion powder compositionis admixed with the appropriate mixes. It is preferable to add from 0.5to 10% by weight of dispersion powder, based on the dry weight of themix. The mixes also comprise from 5 to 80% by weight of inorganic,hydraulically setting binders, such as cement, gypsum or mixtures ofthese. Cement is preferably used as binder. Another constituent of themix is from 5 to 80% by weight of inorganic fillers, such as sand,powdered quartz, chalk, powdered limestone, filter ash, or a mixture ofthese. Additives which promote flow, such as casein or cementplasticizers, may also be added to the dry mixture to improveself-leveling properties. The % by weight data here are always based on100% by weight of dry weight of the mix for trowel-applied flooringcompositions. The ready-to-use flowable composition is finally obtainedby adding water to the abovementioned dry mixture.

The ready-to-use trowel-applied flooring composition, once it has beenmixed with water, can be used to produce screeds or self-levelingcoatings for leveling, evening or smoothing substrates. For this, theaqueous trowel-applied flooring composition is poured out, distributedand dried, generally giving layer thicknesses of from 0.5 to 30 mm. Evenwhen applying relatively thick layers, the procedure of the inventiongives smooth surfaces with outstanding mechanical strength and hardness.

EXAMPLES Materials used

Comparative dispersion 1:

Aqueous dispersion polymerized in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol(degree of hydrolysis 88 mol %, Ho6ppler viscosity 4 mPas) and having asolids content of 50%, based on a styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer witha styrene content of 45% by weight and with a butyl acrylate content of55% by weight.

Dispersion 2:

Aqueous dispersion polymerized in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol(degree of hydrolysis 88 mol %, Höppler viscosity 4 mPas) and having asolids content of 50%, based on a styrene-butadiene copolymer with astyrene content of 65% by weight and with a butadiene content of 35% byweight.

Polyviol M05/140:

Polyvinyl alcohol with a Höppler viscosity of 5 mPas in aqueoussolution, and with a hydrolysis value of 140 (degree of hydrolysis of 88mol %) from Wacker-Chemie GmbH.

Polyviol M13/140:

Polyvinyl alcohol with a Höppler viscosity of 13 mPas in aqueoussolution, and with a hydrolysis value of 140 (degree of hydrolysis of 88mol %) from Wacker-Chemie GmbH.

Polyviol G04/140:

Polyvinyl alcohol with a Höppler viscosity of 4 mPas in aqueoussolution, and with a hydrolysis value of 140 (degree of hydrolysis of 88mol %) from Wacker-Chemie GmbH.

PME (as in EP-A 477900):

Fully hydrolyzed copolymer made from isopropenyl acetate and vinylacetate with a Höppler viscosity of 2.5 mpas in 4% strength aqueoussolution, and with an isopropenyl content of 20 mol %, fromWacker-Chemie GmbH.

Melment F10:

Cement plasticizer based on a melamine-formaldehyde condensation productcontaining sulfonate groups and obtained from SKW Trostberg.

Wacker S670:

Silicone-based antifoarm from Wacker-Chemie GmbH.

Agitan 305:

Antifoam based on liquid hydrocarbons, from Munzig Heilbronn.

Genapol PF20:

Nonionic emulsifier based on an ethylene oxide-propylene oxidecopolymer, from Hoechst.

Example 1

4000 parts by weight of dispersion 2, 1100 parts by weight of polyviolM05/140 in the form of a 20% strength solution in water (10% by weight,based on resin), 13.2 parts by weight of Wacker S 670 (0.6% by weight,based on resin), and 500 parts by weight of water were mixed thoroughly.The mixture was sprayed through a twin-fluid nozzle. The component usedfor spraying was air compressed in advance to 4 bar, and the dropletsformed were dried using a cocurrent of air heated to 125° C. Theresultant powder was mixed with 10% by weight, based on the total weightof polymeric constituents, of commercially available antiblocking agent(mixture of calcium magnesium carbonate and magnesium hydrosilicate).

Example 2

4000 parts by weight of dispersion 2, 1800 parts by weight of polyviolM13/140 in the form of a 10% strength solution in water (9% by weight,based on resin), 20 parts by weight of Agitan 305 (1% by weight, basedon resin), 4 parts by weight of Genapol PF20 (0.2% by weight, based onresin), and 500 parts by weight of water were mixed thoroughly.

The mixture was sprayed through a twin-fluid nozzle. The component usedfor spraying was air compressed in advance to 4 bar, and the dropletsformed were dried using a cocurrent of air heated to 125° C. Theresultant powder was mixed with 10% by weight, based on the total weightof polymeric constituents, of commercially available antiblocking agent(mixture of calcium magnesium carbonate and magnesium hydrosilicate).

Comparative Example 3

4000 parts by weight of dispersion 1, 1100 parts by weight of polyviolM05/140 in the form of a 20% strength solution in water (10% by weight,based on resin), 13.2 parts by weight of Wacker S670 (0.6% by weight,based on resin), and 500 parts by weight of water were mixed thoroughly.The mixture was sprayed through a twin-fluid nozzle. The component usedfor spraying was air compressed in advance to 4 bar, and the dropletsformed were dried using a cocurrent of air heated to 125° C. Theresultant powder was mixed with 10% by weight, based on the total weightof polymeric constituents, of commercially available antiblocking agent(mixture of calcium magnesium carbonate and magnesium hydrosilicate).

Comparative Example 4

4000 parts by weight of dispersion 1, 1100 parts by weight of polyviolM05/140 in the form of a 20% strength solution in water (10% by weight,based on resin), 132 parts by weight of PME in the form of a 50%strength solution in water (3% by weight, based on resin), 13.2 parts byweight of Wacker S670 (0.6% by weight, based on resin), and 500 parts byweight of water were mixed thoroughly.

The mixture was sprayed through a twin-fluid nozzle. The component usedfor spraying was air compressed in advance to 4 bar, and the dropletsformed were dried using a cocurrent of air heated to 125° C. Theresultant powder was mixed with 10% by weight, based on the total weightof polymeric constituents, of commercially available antiblocking agent(mixture of calcium magnesium carbonate and magnesium hydrosilicate).

Performance testing

Production of a troweling composition:

Material Parts by weight Portland cement 35F 60 EFA filler(electrostatic filter 15 ash filler) H33 quartz sand 153 Millicarb(calcium carbonate 30 filler) Carborex 20 (calcium carbonate 39 filler)Melment F10 (cement plasticizer) 1.5 Tamol NN9401 (cement plasticizer)1.5 Total 300

Production of test coating:

In the comparative experiment without addition of dispersion powder, 300parts by weight of the troweling composition were intimately mixed with51 parts by weight of water and then cast at 4 mm layer thickness onto afilm.

In the case of those trowel-applied flooring compositions withdispersion powder, 290 parts by weight of the troweling composition weremixed with 10 parts by weight of dispersion powder. The composition wasthen mixed intimately with 51 parts by weight of water and cast at 4 mmlayer thickness onto a film.

Testing for surface quality:

Assessment was visual, using the following evaluation scale:

1 very smooth, without any craters or pinholes

2 very smooth, without craters and with few pinholes

3 smooth, few craters, many pinholes

4 smooth, some craters, many pinholes

Testing for hardness and scratch resistance:

Hardness and scratch resistance were tested by scratching with a knife.This also gives information on the wear resistance of the trowelingcomposition.

Evaluation scale:

1 very, hard, very strongly bonded, very scratch-resistant

2 hard, strongly bonded, scratch-resistant

3 moderate hardness, moderately strongly bonded, moderatelyscratch-resistant

4 moderate hardness, poor bond strength, low scratch resistance

The results are listed in the table below:

Surface Hardness/scratch Troweling composition quality resistanceExample 1 1 1 Example 2 1 1 Comparative Example 3 3 2 ComparativeExample 4 1 2 Without powder 3 4

Comparing Example 1 and Example 2 with Comparative Example 3 shows thatonly polyvinyl-alcohol-stabilized polymer powders based onstyrene-butadiene copolymers give the required surface quality withoutsmoothing additives. Using styrene-butyl acrylate powders as inComparative Example 3 gives only unsatisfactory surfaces whosesmoothness is just as poor as that of troweling compositions withoutaddition of dispersion powder (see comparison without powder). Evenafter addition of smoothing additives as in EP-A 477900, the surfacequality of styrene-butyl acrylate-modified troweling compositions(Comparative Example 4) does not reach the quality obtained by the useaccording to the invention of polyvinyl-alcohol-stabilizedstyrene-butadiene polymer powders.

What is claimed is:
 1. A self-leveling, hydraulically-settable flooring composition, comprising a) from about 5 weight percent to about 80 weight percent of the total weight of said composition, based on solids, of one or more hydraulically setting inorganic binders; b) a vinyl aromatic-1,3-diene copolymer comprising from about 20 weight percent to about 80 weight percent of moieties derived from at least one vinyl aromatic monomer and from about 80 weight percent to about 20 weight percent of moieties derived from at least one 1,3-diene monomer, and up to about 30 weight percent of further monomers copolymerizable therewith, said weight percentages based on the weight of the copolymer, and totaling 100%; c) from 2 to 25 weight percent, based on the weight of the copolymer (b) of one or more protective colloids; and d) from 3 to 30 weight percent based on the sum of the weights of b) and c) of at least one fine antiblocking agent.
 2. The composition of claim 1, further comprising from 0.1 to about 10 weight percent, based on the weight of the composition, of one or more additives selected from the group consisting of antifoams, pigments, fillers, foam stabilizers, hydrophobicizing agents, wetting agents, and cement plasticizers.
 3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the copolymer (b) is free of any emulsifier.
 4. The composition of claim 1, wherein said vinyl aromatic monomer is present in an amount of from 30 to 70 weight percent and said 1,3-diene monomer is present in an amount from 70 to 30 weight percent.
 5. The composition of claim 1, containing up to a total of 30 weight percent of moieties derived from one or more comonomers selected from the group consisting of ethylene, vinyl chloride, C₁₋₁₅ (meth)acrylates, vinyl esters of branched carboxylic acids, and vinyl esters of unbranched carboxylic acids.
 6. The composition of claim 1, wherein said copolymer (b) further comprises from 0.05 to 10 weight percent, based on the weight of the copolymer, of one or more termonomers selected from the group consisting of ethyleneically unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids, ethylenically unsaturated carboxamides and carbonitriles, mono- and diesters of fumaric acid, mono- and diesters of maleic acid, maleic anhydride, ethyleneically unsaturated sulfonic acids and their sales, divinyl adipates, diallyl maleate, allyl methacrylate, triallyl cyanurate, acrylamidoglycolic acid, methyl methylacrylamidoglycolate, N-methylolacrylamide, N-methylolmethacrylamide, allyl N-methylolcarbamare, N-methylolacrylanmide alkyl ethers, N-methylolmethacrylamide alkyl ethers, N-methylolmethacrylamide alkyl esters, allyl N-methylolcarbamate alkyl ethers, allyl N-methylolcarbamate alkyl esters, epoxy-functional comonomers, silicon-functional comonomers, and monomers having hydroxyl or CO groups.
 7. The composition of claim 6, wherein said one or more termonomers are selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, acrylamide, acrylonitrile, vinylsulfonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, glycidyl methacrylate, glycidyl acrylate, acryloxypropyltri(alkoxy)silanes, methacryloxypropyltri(alkoxy)silanes, vinyltrialkoxysilanes, vinylmethyldialkoxysilanes, hydroxyalkyl methacrylates, hydroxyalkyl acrylates, hydroxyalkyl methacrylates, hydroxyalkyl acrylates, diacetoneacrylamide, and acetylacetoxyethyl (meth)acrylate.
 8. The composition of claim 1, wherein copolymer b) is in the form of a dispersion powder, and is present in a dry mix of the remaining components in an amount of from 0.5 to 10 weight percent based on the weight of the dry mix.
 9. The composition of claim 1, further comprising from 5 to 80 weight percent based on the weight of the composition, of an inorganic filler.
 10. The composition of claim 1, wherein said protective colloid c) comprises at least one polyvinyl alcohol with a degree of hydrolysis of from 80 to 95 mol percent and having a Höppler viscosity of from 1 to 30 mpas in 4 weight percent aqueous solution.
 11. The composition of claim 1, herein said protective colloid c) comprises at least one hydrophobically modified polyvinyl alcohol with a degree of hydrolysis of from 80 to 95 mol percent and having a Höppler viscosity of from 1 to 30 mPas in 4 weight percent aqueous solution.
 12. A process for preparing a snob self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 1 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 13. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 2 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 14. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 3 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 15. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 4 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 16. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 5 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 17. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 6 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 18. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 7 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to see.
 19. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 8 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 20. A process for preparing a self-leveling, hydraulically set floor covering, said process comprising adding water to the composition of claim 9 to form a flowable composition, applying said flowable composition to said floor, and allowing said flowable composition to set.
 21. The composition of claim 1, wherein the antiblocking agent (d) has a particle size from 10 μm to 10 μm. 